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Imperial Parliament (Stilor Empire)
' The Imperial Parliament' is the bicameral legislature of the Stilor Empire, consisting of both the Chamber of Councilors and the Popular Assembly. Councilors inherit their seat by virtue of being a Patriarch/Matriarch of a Pahtria Clan, while Assembly men and women hold their seats by indirect election. The 5275 Assembly men and women are indirectly elected by proportional party votes from lists prepared ahead of the election and serve a four year term before being subjected to another election. Meanwhile, there are no elections in the Chamber of Councilors, as each seat is held by the Patriarch/Matriarch of the Pahtria Clans. The Imperial Constitution vests legislative authority in the Imperial Parliament, requiring that both Houses pass an identical version of a bill before it is presented to the Emperor/Empress. At the same time, however, the Emperor/Empress may issue Imperial Decrees. Imperial Decrees have the same force as Imperial Law and can be issued whenever the Emperor/Empress wants, for whatever reason the Emperor/Empress wants it. The only restriction on these Decrees is that it not run contrary to Imperial Law. Therefore, the Imperial Parliament simply has to pass a law voiding the Decree. Of course, the Emperor/Empress can veto such a Bill, which would then have to be overridden. In order to sit in either house, a person must be born a citizen of the Empire. Finally, the Imperial Parliament is guarded by the Parliamentary Guard, not the Imperial Marines. History TBD Powers and Procedures The Imperial Constitution lays out the powers of the Imperial Parliament. Simply put the Parliament has the authority to pass laws regarding whatever subject it wants. However, overtime the Imperial Parliament has devolved a number of powers to the sector and system parliaments. Nonetheless, the Imperial Parliament remains the supreme legislative body in the Stilor Empire and may overrule any lesser parliament at any time. The Imperial Parliament, however, retains sole authority in budgetary matters, areas of Imperial Defense, copyright and business law, and matters of infrastructure. A bill maybe introduced into either House, at anytime. Bills are always introduced by the party/coalition leader or the Emperor/Empress. Once the bill is read for the first time, called the First Reading, a procedural vote is called for the bill to be read a second time. If the bill fails to reach a second reading it is considered dead. After the second reading, however, general questions and debate is held, before the bill is referred to the appropriate committee. Within the committee the bill is further debate, amended, and considered. If the bill is voted out of comittee the bill returns to the House floor for a final, full debate, before being voted on in an up or down vote. Once the bill passes the House it was introduced into, it moves to the other House where the process begins again, including the option to amend, alter, or scrap the existing bill. If the bill is changed in the second house, it must be returned to the first house for one final vote. If the changed bill passes, it is sent to the Emperor/Empress for consideration and approval or veto. If the changed bill fails, then a special committee, called the Reconciliation Committee, composed of members from both Houses and creates a third version of the bill. This third version is then voted on by both houses, with no amendments, if it passes both it goes to the Empress. If it fails in either house, the bill is dead. Within the Popular Assembly, strict party discipline is enforced, while in the Chamber of Councilors there is only weak party discipline. Sessions Each house normally meets in seperate sessions, however, in special circumstances the Houses may meet in joint session. These joint sessions occur, usually, only in times of emergency, such as times of war or when the Emperor/Empress dies. Committees Most of the work of each House occurs in Committee. Each house has a number of standing committees that deal with specific areas of the Empire, such as Imperial Military Affairs Committee and the Business and Corporate Affairs Committee. These committees conduct hearings and research on the topics covered in the bills they are assigned and make necessary amendments and changes to the bill before presenting it back to the full House for a vote. Committees are the only bodies with the House authorized to make amendments to a bill. In addition to the standing committees, a house may choose to form special committees, for select and limited purposes. These committees are created by simple majority vote and exist until such time that their purpose is fulfilled. Of all the committees in either house, the Governing Committees for each house are the most powerful. These committees, one in each house, are composed of the leader of the House and other senior members from the majority party/coalition. The Governing Committee is the place where the bill is first written and strategy about presentation is discussed. If the bill is introduced by a minority party/coalition, it does not go through the Governing Committee, however the bill also won't pass the first reading vote and thus be dead. Chamber of Councilors The Chamber of Councilors is the upper house of the Imperial Parliament, the lower house being the Popular Assembly. The composition and powers of the Chamber is laid out in the Imperial Constitution. It sets out that the Chamber is made up of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Pahtria Clans. Each of these seats is hereditary, passing from Clan leader to Clan leader. The Chamber of Councilors is located in the north wing of Imperial Hall. While members often affiliate with political parties, very few officially join political parties. As a result, the Chambers decisions are reached through independent politicking (often involving back room deals and negotiations). History TBD Membership Qualifications There are only two qualifications to sit in the Chamber of Councilors. First, the seat must be held by the leader of a Pahtria Clan. Second, that leader must be at least thirty years old. Finally, the Chamber is the judge of the qualifications of its own members, as a result, they are free to wave either requirement (the first never occuring, the second rarely occuring). Officers The Lord Chancellor is the leader of the Chamber of Councillors and elected by the members of the Chamber. The Lord Chancellor will continue to serve as Lord Chancellor until he/she dies, resigns, or loses a vote of confidence. The Lord Chancellor chairs the Governing Committee of the Chamber, appoints all committee chairs and members, controls debate within the Chamber of Councilors, and is entitled to give the first and last speach during any debate. Currently, the Lord Chancellor is Kan'Dor, a member affiliated with the the conservative elements of society. No other official officers exist, instead the Lord Chancellor will surround himself/herself with allies and friends who assist the Lord Chancellor in running the Chamber. This includes presiding over sessions when the Lord Chancellor is not present. Procedure The Chamber of Councilors holds daily sessions, most of which are open to the public. At the beginning of each session a prayer held by the Chamber's chaplin, a priest within the Imperial Church. Once the prayer is finished, a session a quorum call is held, requiring that 50%+1 members are present in order to conduct business. Chamber rules allow for the Councilor to be present via hologram if he or she cannot be there in person. A Councilor may, if he is unable to be present (either physically or via hologram) send a proxy, however, that proxy cannot vote, cannot debate, and the Councilor must notify the Lord Chancellor before the session begins. The session will not end until their is a motion to adjourn that is passed by a majority. During both debate and committee work, Chamber members are expected to maintain civility and a certain level of decorum befitting their place in society. Debates Before a Councilor may speak, he/she must be recognized by the Lord Chancellor. However, the Lord Chancellor must call on the first Councilor who rises to speak. Speeches may be addressed to whomever the Councilor wants, but the speach must maintain the rules concerning civility and follow the laws concerning speech. As a result, Councilors rarely address one another by name, instead addressing their fellows as "Patriarch (Clan Name)" or "Matriarch (Clan Name)". Councilors are free to speak for as long as they wish, on whatever topic they wish, however may not make more than two speaches on a single motion/bill in a single legislative session. A speach may be cut off, however, by a procedural vote to "no longer recognize the speaker", which requires only a simple majority of those present. Voting When debate has ended the Lord Chancellor will call a vote, where each Councilor present casts his/her vote when his/her name is called. The Lord Chancellor announces the results of the vote at the conclusion of the vote, when either all members of the Chamber have voted or thirty minutes has elapsed, whichever occurs first. If the vote is tied, the motion fails (though that has not happened in since the founding of the Empire). Closed Sessions A session of the Chamber may be closed, and its records sealed, at the request of the Emperor/Empress or by a motion of a Councilor with the support of 1% of the entire body. These usually occur when receiving sensitive communications from the Emperor/Empress, discussing matters of Imperial security, or private deliberations during a Councilor's trial (see below). During a closed session all recording devices are turned off and the galleries cleared. At the end of the session, the official transcripts are secured, released only on a majority vote of the Chamber, and private notes and records collected and destroyed. Disciplinary Powers The Chamber of Councilors has zealously guarded the rights and privledges of its members. As such, it has won the right to try, and decide the fate of, any member accused of committing a crime. Anytime a Councilor is charged with a crime, following the normal procedural hearings, the matter is brought before the Chamber for trial. During this trial, the evidence is presented by a Councilor and the appointed by the Lord Chancellor and the accused is defended by a Councilor of his/her choosing with the Lord Chancellor sitting as Judge. Their are no procedural rules, no objections, and no rules of evidence. Testimony is heard from all witnesses, who may be cross examined. At the conclusion of both cases, the accused and the two Councilor-attorneys leave and the matter voted on. Should a majority vote to convict, the body will then debate and decide on a punishment. No matter the punishment, the Councilor is ejected from the Chamber and the seat is held in trust until the ejected member resigns as Patriach/Matriarch, is cast out of the clan, or dies, at which time the new Patriarch/Matriarch may once again take up the seat. Current Majority Currently, the majority of Councilors remains unaffiliated. However, those that do affiliate themselves tend to do so with the Imperial Strength Party, though a sizable minorities affiliate with Imperial Center Party and Imperial Stilor Patriotic Union. Popular Assembly The Popular Assembly, commonly referred to as "the Assembly," is the lower house of the Imperial Parliament, the upper house being the Chamber of Councilors. The composition and powers of the Assembly are laid out in the Imperial Constitution. It establishes that every four years an Empire-wide election shall be held and that qualified citizens shall vote for a political party. That party shall have prepared lists of proposed Assembly men and women, who shall sit in the even of an electoral win. Each party shall receive the number of seats in proportion to their total vote percentage, moving down the list of nominees, each re-electable as the party sees fit. The number of seats in the Assembly is fixed by law at 5275. Because of politics, one party rarely receives a majority of the vote and as such is forced to create a coalition in order to pass bills and motions. Should a coalition fall, the parties have 60 days to form a new coalition, or else Emperor/Empress shall call for a new vote, resetting the four year clock. History TBD Membership Qualifications The only three qualifications for holding a seat in the Assembly are being at least 25 years of age at the time of election, being a member of the party whose list your name appears, and not being a member of a Pahtria Clan. Other than that, it is for the party to determine whether a person's name will appear on its list. Terms The term of an Assembly member is, at most, four years. However, they may hold that seat so long as their name appears on a Party list and that Party wins a sufficient number of seats in the election. A party is free to remove the name of any person from its list for any reason, however if the Party chooses to remove a member of the Assembly, that member does not lose their seat until the next election. Officers Unlike the Chamber of Councilors, their are numerous officers and leaders within the Popular Assembly. Each party/coalition maintains a cadre of leadership positions, such as Leader, Deputy Leader, Whip, Deputy Whip, Treasurer. Further, the majority party/coalition's Leader is also the President of the Assembly. Usually, these leading members of the majority party/coalition form the Governing Committee in the Assembly The President sits on the High Council, determines committee chairs and assignments, chairs the Assembly Governing Committee, and presides over debate (or names someone to do so). Given that the position is much more overtly political, the President also names people to any Reconciliation Committees and determines when, and if, a bill will be considered. The current President is Noh'Kop. Procedure The Popular Assembly holds daily sessions, most of which are open to the public. At the beginning of each session a prayer held by the Assembly's chaplin, a priest within the Imperial Church. Once the prayer is finished, a session a quorum call is held, requiring that 50%+1 members are present in order to conduct business. Unlike the Chamber of Councilors, hologram attendance is not allowed to count toward the quorum and neither is sending a proxy. Debates During debates the President of the Assembly is always granted first speaking rights, followed by the opposition leader(s). After that, the President is in charge of selecting who is recognized to speak, traditionally alternating between the majority and opposition. When a speaker has the floor, no other person is permitted to speak, unless a member believes that the Rule of Order are being broken. If a member believe the Rules are being broken, he/she can raise a point of order with the President, who will then rule. If the member is unsatisfied with the ruling, he/she may press for a secret vote. This is the only time when votes are cast in secret and without party discipline. Also during debate, the President determines the speaking time for each coalition or party, however this time must be equal between the majority and opposition. Note, this does not mean that every party/coalition receives the same amount of time, only that the coalition in the majority receives an equal amount of time as to all the other parties/coalitions in opposition. This has given rise to the President assigning disproportionate amounts of time to the fringe parties, while ignoring the major opposition party/coalition. Speeches may only directed to the President or to the Assembly as a whole. When referring to other members of the Assembly, the speaker must refer to them in the third person, such as "the gentleman in the ICP." At the end of the debate, a cloture vote is held, if the bill passes cloture, it is sent to the appropriate committee for consideration, before returning to the Assembly for one final debate and vote. Voting When debate has ended the President will call a vote, where each Assembly Person present casts his/her vote electronically. The President announces the results of the vote at the conclusion of the vote, when either all members of the Assembly have voted or the time period for the vote has elapsed, whichever occurs first. The time period in which the vote shall remain open is decided upon by the Governing Committee. If the vote is tied, the motion fails (though that has not happened in since the founding of the Empire). Current Majority Currently, the majority is composed of the Imperial Center Party-Imperial Strength Party-United Party. Noh'Kop, the current President of the Assembly, is the leader of the Imperial Center Party. The major opposition is found in a coalition of Citizen's Rights Party-Imperial Social Welfare Party. Meeting Place The Imperial Parliament sits at the Imperial Hall on Stilor Prime, in the Sti'Vel System, Sti'Vel Sector. Imperial Hall is a blocky, neo-classical design with a main entry building and plaza that branches off into two seperate wings, one for each house. Category:Stilor